Lee County schools hires safety director whose job will be to ensure safety protocol followed

The Lee County School District expects to have a new safety director on the job in early April. pending board approval.

The position, vacant for more than four months, has been accepted by a “successful candidate who has a long history of safety and security. Great background," Superintendent Greg Adkins said this week at a District Advisory Council meeting.

The safety and security position has been vacant since Oct. 31. Ken Dobson was the previous director.

The school district would not release the name of the person or say how much he will be paid because he hasn't been approved yet by the board. The next board meeting is  set for March 27.

An immediate task for the new director will be to continue ongoing visits to district schools to ensure that safety protocols are being followed, particularly in active-shooter drills.

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Asked by Adkins about security technology, such as cameras and warning systems linked by phones, the pending director hire said security starts with staff.

“The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘First of all, there’s no replacement for the importance of human beings and proper supervision being followed in schools. Technology will never replace that,’” Adkins said. “I thought that was a great response. He gets it in terms of the importance of human beings.”

Also a top priority for improved security is continuing to convert schools to single entry points, which Gerald Demming, executive director of school development, said won’t be possible at all schools.

“We do have challenges,” Adkins said. “Some of our larger schools, such as Fort Myers High School, Cypress Lake, Mariner, Estero, have campuses that have multiple points of entry. But we can do it.”

Adkins pointed to the conversion of The Alva School to a single entry point.

“Alva was a community school. People are used to just walking in off the street, walking their kids directly to class,” Adkins said. “That (conversion) was something the community really resisted.

“We did put one in there. I think it’s working really well. It just takes a bit of a culture shift and commitment to put in the structures.”

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Tours of campuses by police also are ongoing to ensure officers are familiar with campus layouts.

Adkins said new legislation passed by the Legislature this month includes a provision that law enforcement visit schools at least once every three years. Adkins said that will occur every year in Lee County.

Five Fort Myers Police Department squad cars were at Fort Myers High Friday morning for that purpose, the school said.

“That was one of the issues at Parkland,” Adkins said. “They weren’t as familiar with that campus because it had been so long since they’d been there. That will not be the case here.”